Huascarán

Huascarán or Nevado Huascarán is a mountain of the Cordillera Blanca, part of the Western Andes, and at 6768 metres its southern peak (Huascarán Sur) is the highest in Peru and the fourth highest in South America. This summit was first reached in 1932 by a joint German–Austrian expedition. The north peak (Huascarán Norte) had previously been climbed by an expedition from the USA in 1908.

On 31 May 1970 the Ancash earthquake caused a substantial part of the north side of the mountain to collapse. The town of Yungay was completely buried by ice, snow and rock, causing the deaths of around 30,000 people.

Huascarán gives its name to the Huascarán National Park which surrounds it, and is a popular location for trekking and mountaineering.